Most all of the camera enclosures or camera casings are made for a non-rugged environment. In most cases the electronics consists of an upper and lower board assembly interconnected by a ribbon cable. In addition, there is a frontal optical assembly carrying the CCD image sensor connected by a cable to the bottom board assembly plus wiring for target lasers and integrated lighting when this is required. The camera enclosure or camera casings could also comprise of an upper and lower interlocking extrusion with interposing gaskets plus two machined end assemblies. Each of the end assemblies could be held in place with a plurality of securing devices, such as, for example, screws. To seal this camera enclosure or camera casings one could also use end gaskets.
Another approach to solving this problem has been products which have the lens and sensor at right angles to the electronics boards, such as Cognex (not shown) or DVT(Cognex) (not shown). However, this conventional method does not enable a camera to have the sensor and lens provided in line with the connectors.
Microscan Quadrus (Trademark of Microscan Systems Inc.) (not shown) is a sealed smart camera with a diagonal separation of upper and lower halves of its housing. However, in contrast to the present invention, the separation does not form a plane but curves upwards requiring the use of a cemented in-bead type gasket to achieve a seal.
In order to meet certain rugged environmental conditions the camera enclosures have to meet or exceed the IP standards. IP stands for “Ingress Protection,” or “International Protection.” An IP number is used to specify the environmental protection of enclosures around electronic equipment. These ratings are determined by specific tests. The IP number is composed of two numbers, the first referring to the protection against solid objects and the second against liquids. Therefore, the higher the number, the better the protection.
First Number0 No protection (Sometimes X)1 Protected against solid objects up to 50 mm32 Protected against solid objects up to 12 mm33 Protected against solid objects up to 2.5 mm34 Protected against solid objects up to 1 mm35 Protected against dust, limited ingress (no harmful deposit)6 Totally protected against dust
Second NumberSecond Number0No protection (Sometimes X)1Protection against vertically falling drops of water (e.g. condensation)2Protection against direct sprays of water up to 15 degrees fromvertical3Protection against direct sprays of water up to 60 degrees fromvertical4Protection against water sprayed from all directions—limited ingresspermitted5Protected against low pressure jets of water from all directions—limited ingress permitted6Protected against low pressure jets of water, limited ingress permitted(e.g. ship deck)7Protected against the effect of immersion between 15 cm and 1 m8Protected against long periods of immersion under pressure
Thus, IP67 would mean that the product is “totally protected against dust” and that the product is also “protected against the effect of immersion between 15 cm and 1 m.”
US Patent Publication Serial No. 20050117022 (Stephen John Marchant), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses an image capture and retrieval apparatus includes a camera unit including a high resolution image sensor for capturing data relating to a visual image, a radio transmitter and radio receiver for triggering the image sensor of the camera unit to capture image data at a predetermined time and/or location. The apparatus further includes a base station for retrieving and processing image data and a camera unit including data storage means for transmitting the image data, the moveable unit being adapted for conveying to the base station image data captured by the image center at a location remote from the base station. Also disclosed is that the housing 50 is made of a high impact plastics material, waterproof to a level of IP67. This means the unit is totally protected against dust and can be submersed in water to a depth of between 15 cm and 1 m for 30 minutes without any ingress of water.
Thus, a need exists for a camera enclosure sealing system and method that meets or exceeds an IP67 standard.
This invention overcomes the problems of the prior art and provides a camera enclosure sealing system and method that meets or exceeds an IP67 standard.